Wednesday, 1 April 2015

Fires Flare at Sapref Refinery in South Durban

Fires Flare at Sapref
Refinery in South Durban

View from Wentworth Park

View from Cuttings Beach at the Umlazi Canal

Flaring fires emerged from the Sapref Oil Refinery in South Durban on
Wednesday morning, 1 April 2015. Two of the stacks were seen emitting flames
and plumes of smoke that were appearing to head toward the Isipingo community.
This toxic smoke causes a health risk for residents. At facilities nearby,
water was being hosed onto tanks closest to the flares. The cause of the
flaring is unknown.

For several years, the South
Durban Community Environmental Alliance (SDCEA) has pressured Sapref to install
back-up generators, but Sapref has failed to do so. Sapref’s neglect continues
to put nearby communities at risk. The SDCEA calls for the Sapref Refinery to
re-examine the urgent need for back-up generators in light of today’s dangerous
flaring.

“It is unacceptable that South Durban communities are left
in the dark about incidents such as these by the city officials as well as
polluting industries. Due to lack of information, our communities cannot
continuously bear the brunt of these incidents that leave them uncertain of
their health risks. Communities are outraged by these incidents, and tend to
turn to the SDCEA instead of city officials since officials have previously not
responded positively“, stated Bongani Mthembu, GIS & Air Quality Officer
specialising in pollution at the South Durban Community Environmental Alliance.